The  Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches statistics listed the Jehovah’s Witnesses as the fastest growing Christian group in the US for 4 years in a row (the 2008-2011 Yearbooks).  The 2011 Yearbook reported a 4.37% growth rate (based on 2010 membership figures). According to the 2012 Yearbook, the growth of the Jehovah’s Witnesses was 1.85%, falling into 4th place.  The Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention reported a decline in membership.    

 

The group with the largest growth rate listed in the 2012 yearbook was the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, showing a 20% increase; however, according to a footnote in the yearbook, unlike the other churches, that growth reflects figures for that group going back a several years, to 2006, not a 1-year percentage change.  If ranked by the one-year percentage, the Assemblies of God denomination would be in first place with a 3.99% gain, better than the average less than 1-percent gain in prior years.  Jehovah’s Witnesses would then be in 3rd place; and the National Baptist Convention on 2nd place with a 3.95% increase reported in the 2012 Yearbook (the National Baptist Convention reported decreases or no increases in the prior 4 years).

 When adding all percentage figures in the last 4 years, the fastest growing Christian church is the Jehovah’s Witnesses with a 10.37% growth rate increase, and the Assemblies of God falls in 2nd place with a 6.74% increase. Most of the other major churches, especially mainline Protestant churches, have consistiently reported decreases in the last 4 years.